(L to R) Councilmember Denise Klint from Coon Rapids; Lulu Mosman, Eden Prairie; Councilmember Jan Mosman, Eden Prairie; and Colleen Fay from Congressman Jim Ramstad’s Office.
This a follow-up to the entry earlier this week when I was in Washington DC for the National League of Cities annual congressional cities conference. I snapped this photo outside of Congressman Jim Ramstad’s office. The congressman’s intern, Colleen, gave our small group a staff led tour of the U.S. Capitol. Colleen was friendly and knowledgeable about the Capitol. It was obvious to me that she gives a lot of tours. As a staff led tour, we got to see some things that normal tours don’t get to see. One such place was the House of Representatives Chamber. The House was not in session that day, so it was quiet, and sobering.
Councilmember Mosman and I also had business on the Hill that day. We met with Adam Peterman of Congressman Ramstad’s staff and Jeremy Bratt of Senator Dayton’s staff concerning federal funding for the 494/169 interchange project. We also dropped off official letters signed by the Mayors of Edina and Eden Prairie advocating for the funding at Senator Coleman’s office, but his transportation staff person was unable to meet with us.
Big projects, like the 494/169 interchange project, can take a long time to catch on in Washington. That may not be the case with this particular one. Congressman Ramstad is well aware of it and is working diligently with Minnesota’s two Senators to get the project the HPP funding designation that it needs.
